


Mind Over Matter

by Esperata



Series: Forever Returns [5]
Category: Batman (Movies 1989-1997)
Genre: Belly Rubs, Body Positivity, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sock Garters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22740517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esperata/pseuds/Esperata
Summary: When Edward stepped inside the bedroom after a rather luxurious bath, and saw Oswald laid out upon their bed with his shirt and pants loosened, well, he thought all his Christmases had come at once.Holidays of course rarely bring us what we expect.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Series: Forever Returns [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1597003
Comments: 17
Kudos: 77





	Mind Over Matter

When Edward stepped inside the bedroom after a rather luxurious bath, and saw Oswald laid out upon their bed with his shirt and pants loosened, well, he thought all his Christmases had come at once. He only refrained from actually leaping on him for two very good reasons. The first of which was that Oswald was apparently unaware of his arrival. Surprising the Penguin with what could be mistaken for a physical attack didn’t seem like a sensible idea if he wanted to survive the encounter.

Following on from this was the sheer enjoyment he was getting from letting his anticipation build. He enjoyed all their sexual encounters – could still hardly believe he’d got so lucky as to find a man so indulgent with him – but none of them ever gave him time to simply admire Oswald’s body. Despite all his assurances, and the ample proof he physically provided, Oswald was still hesitant about being subject to scrutiny.

Edward licked his lips as he eyed the protruding belly visible between the edges of shirt and boxers. It suddenly occurred to him that he’d never delved his tongue into the man’s navel and that was an oversight he ardently hoped to correct soon. He could start there before moving on to his favourite destination, not obvious yet but with the entryway invitingly ajar.

He’d stepped towards the bed before considering the matter further and the motion brought Oswald’s eyes open immediately as he tensed ready to defend himself.

“Oh. Eddie.” He relaxed and shut his eyes again. “There you are.”

It was invitation enough and Edward clambered eagerly up beside his lover, letting his hand slide through the tempting opening towards the prize within in a clear declaration of his intentions.

“Were you getting started without me?” he purred.

To his surprise Oswald grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand away from him. The action alone made Edward withdraw back into himself but the slightly pained sound that accompanied it made him hesitate.

“Are you alright? Oswald?”

The man’s brows were drawn into a frown although Eddie couldn’t be sure if it was in irritation or pain.

“I’ve got a belly ache,” he eventually snapped. “I don’t feel like doing anything carnal with you tonight.”

Oswald kept his eyes shut and his mouth pressed in a firm line giving very little else away. Edward wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. It wasn’t a direct instruction to go away, albeit the tone implied perhaps that was what Oswald wanted. Yet Edward didn’t want to leave him. Especially not if he was in pain.

“Do you know what caused it?” he asked cautiously.

An eye peeked open to peer suspiciously at him before shutting again. A few more seconds passed before he was deemed worthy of an answer.

“One of the business men I’m extorting for insurance thought to soften me up by bringing a cake.”

“Was it poisoned!?”

His mind was already sourcing antidotes and emergency procedures before a snort derailed his thoughts.

“I’m not an idiot. I tested it first before I ate any.”

“Then… I don’t understand. Do you have an allergy?”

“No!” Oswald’s eyes snapped open. “I don’t have an allergy.” He sneered the word as if it was offensive but then his expression shifted to one that implied guilt. “But some of the enforcers with me assumed they’d be entitled to a share.”

“Of the cake?” Ed clarified.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Os immediately argued. “First they want a slice of cake then they want a bigger share of the take.”

“So, let me guess. You ate it all.”

The guilty gaze returned full force and his eyes slid away again.

“It didn’t seem like that much at the time. I barely even noticed how many slices I ate.”

“Until you’d eaten the lot. No wonder you have a stomach ache.”

A groan met this statement though whether at the rebuke, or because Oswald had attempted to roll away from him, Edward wasn’t sure. It was a moot point really and he flopped back into the presumably comfortable position he’d been in before turning his head to glare.

“If all you’re going to do is lecture me then you can piss off. I don’t need you to tell me I’m a glutton.”

If he’d maintained the glare then perhaps Edward would have left, but there was something appealingly vulnerable in the way he averted his gaze again. A sense of shame that, even more than his physical pain, Edward wanted to soothe. And it wasn’t actually an order. Just an ultimatum.

“How about I give you a belly rub?” he offered, running one hand softly over the uncovered flesh. “That should help you feel better.”

He received another suspicious look.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“And what if I want to?” Edward retorted, bringing his other hand into play and shifting to better reach. “I just want to help you feel good. In every way I can.”

Oswald continued to look guarded and Edward did his best to appear sincere. Not that he wasn’t, just that he needed Oswald to understand. To believe he genuinely wanted to help him feel better.

“If you’re hoping to turn me on, it’s not going to happen. Not tonight at any rate.”

“I admit that was my expectation when I saw you so delightfully laid out.” Ed kept his focus on where his hands were running in rhythmic circles. “But this is good too. It’s not often I get to simply worship you.”

“Worship me? This body’s hardly a temple. I know it has all the working parts you need to enjoy yourself but it’s hardly a monument to admire.”

“Says you. I admire it very much and would very much like to spend my evening worshiping every inch of you.” He bent down to place a soft kiss to the quivering stomach. “If you’d let me?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d said such a thing but on previous occasions Oswald had always hastened him onto the main event. And truth to tell Edward had always eagerly obliged. Now however seemed the perfect opportunity to prove he did actually mean every word of it.

“Fine. Whatever,” Oswald huffed eventually casting his gaze almost defiantly to the ceiling.

“Let me get you more comfortable first.” Edward began undoing the remaining shirt buttons. “If I do this right you’ll be relaxed enough to fall asleep right after.”

“Fetch me my night shirt then,” Oswald instructed while he awkwardly shimmied up the bed to release his shirt from his body’s hold. Edward hesitated, eyes fixated on all the flesh now deliciously on display. He knew Os was happier being covered but he really hoped they might break that habit, at least for one night. So he avoided the subject by refocusing on their current objective.

“Let me finish taking care of you first. We can’t leave you in your pants. Or your socks and… garters.”

If you’d asked Ed at any previous time of his life what he thought of sock garters, he probably would have shrugged dismissively. They were an accessory to hold up socks and socks weren’t exactly the most seductive garment ever invented. That was before meeting Oswald of course. Now they held a whole new meaning for him.

Getting Oswald in any significant state of undress was a challenge, albeit one that kept Ed enthusiastically engaged. So far he’d been allowed to disrobe Oswald of most of his garments but for some reason he’d never yet got his hands on those garters. Either Oswald removed them himself or he kept them on. Now his hands practically quivered with the temptation of sliding them off and beginning his tactile journey up from the sole of his feet to the crest of his belly.

Another huff met his statement, indicative of Oswald’s dissatisfaction with his current situation. Natural enough since he was uncomfortable both from over eating and being unusually exposed. Yet still he lifted one leg in invitation.

“Get on with it then.”

Edward immediately shifted down the bed to slide off the man’s trousers. He quite deliberately left his underwear alone, determined to emphasise this was not about sex for him, and instead focused his whole attention on those surprisingly delicate feet. It had come as a surprise the first time Edward had seen the small size of his feet and not just because he’d believed the old wives tale. For a large man though, it seemed incongruous that his weight was being supported by such small objects. He’d spent quite a while hypothesising whether the combination encouraged the swelling of his ankles which often made his walk painfully awkward.

This was another area where Oswald discouraged his attention however. Like his syndactyly fingers, his toes were similarly affected and he preferred to hide them. It didn’t stop Ed from indulging in some frankly lewd daydreams about them. The forbidden nature of them only made his desire to possess them more acute.

He inhaled carefully and stilled the trembling in his fingers as he unlatched the first clasp of the garter. Running his long fingers inside the sock he then slowly ran it down to the heel, curling his fingers about the curve before spreading them out onto the sole. He took as long as he dared working the sock off, letting his hands press against the hidden skin and knowing he’d be bringing it to mind later in his fantasies of intensive massages.

Once done for the right leg, he took a steadying breath and shuffled around to repeat the motion on the other side. His breath hitched when he found himself knelt between the man’s feet, toes in such easy reach, and the rest of him laid out like a banquet. Briefly he considered asking if Oswald would press his feet on him, even just on his thighs, and had to shut his eyes tightly against the temptation.

When he reopened his eyes they landed on the slight red marks left behind by the garters and he automatically reached his hands out to rub the tender skin.

“I thought…” Oswald’s breath caught, “you said I’d be getting a _belly_ rub?”

“Of course.” Ed couldn’t help but grin. That hadn’t been a true rebuke. Maybe his ambitions to devote his attention to every area of skin wasn’t as hopeless as he first thought. He just had to be patient. It was easy enough for him to forego that option for the future when being offered free access to such a welcome territory now.

Moving up to kneel beside him again Ed rubbed his hands together, hoping to give the impression of warming them while in reality lingering his gaze over everything before him. The tones, the stretch marks, the old scars, and that too alluring dip into his navel. He held off from drifting his gaze up to the soft swell of his chest. That wasn’t on the menu right now and he didn’t want to get greedy.

Reaching out he began moving his palms in gentle circles with minimal pressure, enjoying the give of the flesh and the way it flowed back when he pushed it out of equilibrium. The weight beneath his hands felt inescapably real. A reassuring certainty to its presence that helped tether Ed to this time and place. It spoke to him of timelessness, of comfort, affluence, and sensual pleasures. All that Oswald was to him conveyed in thick flesh.

He couldn’t help himself from leaning down and placing revenant kisses to the skin even as he maintained the consistent motion of the massage. Up from the pillows he heard another sharp intake of breath at the action and hoped fervently that he wouldn’t be stopped. Or worse yet, sent away for being too amorous. He couldn’t stand being apart from Oswald now. Tilting his head, he pressed his cheek to the warm surface and waited, his hands stilling unnoticed in his anxiety.

His own breath stuttered out when a hand landed soft as a blessing on his head and ran through his hair encouragingly. Renewed with confidence he lifted his head just enough to continue his path of kisses, letting his hands drift further and wider in their indulgent touches. He could hear the distinct gurgles as Oswald’s stomach digested his incautious meal and a new well of pride rose in him at helping his lover. It was at that point he threw caution to the wind and curled his tongue to wrap down and around Oswald’s belly button.

The hand in his hair immediately pulled and Ed blinked worriedly as he lifted his head away, eyeing Oswald anxiously.

“I think that’s enough.”

The phrase did little to sooth his growing panic until Oswald held out his arms in invitation and Ed gratefully dove into them, snuggling right up against his side, one arm thrown possessively over the slope of his belly.

“That was… nice. Thank you. No-one’s ever… well…”

Edward cut him off briskly.

“Oswald.” He propped himself up to meet his eyes. “I hope you know. I would do anything for you.”

The stunned look he received in return broke his heart a little and it was suddenly imperative for him to make sure Oswald knew, that he understood, how he was Ed’s whole world.

“I feel like I’m a comet hurtling round the solar system. Sometimes careening past planets and asteroids, other times lost in the darkest reaches. And I thought I was lost and unhinged until I met you. You’re my sun Oswald. My fixed point, my constant star guiding me home no matter how far I seem adrift. I’m safe in your orbit, attracted by your gravity, and warmed by your presence. I’d be lost without you.”

He could feel his own emotions bubbling to the surface and quickly buried himself back into the security of Oswald’s neck. The memory of his life before Penguin rescued him, his hopelessness and distrustfulness of his own mind, still terrorised him on occasion.

“I’d do anything for you too Ed. I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Not ever.”

The reassurance combined with the instinctive tightening of his hold helped ease the lump in Ed’s throat and he found himself burbling.

“I love you, you know? Every inch of you. I fantasise about your feet. Your thighs are my barricades. I’m obsessed with the way you carry your weight. Your fingers were made to drive me wild. The dexterity of your tongue is incredible. I’d always wear the bite of your teeth with pride because I’m _yours_. I want you to possess me, in every way imaginable. Press your weight into me as a reminder that I’m owned. And let me worship you unabashed. Sit naked with me in the bath and let me wash you all over-”

“Marry me.”

The short question effectively halted Ed’s ramble as his mind tripped over itself. He had to pull himself back to stare incredulously at Oswald, unsure even if he’d actually heard what he thought he had or simply imagined it. The reaction obviously unnerved the man though as his eyes skittered away.

“I know, I know, it’s a stupid idea. Who’d agree to marry us after all? Even if you wanted to, we’re wanted criminals and-”

“Yes.”

Now it was Oswald’s turn to peer suspiciously up at him.

“Yes?”

“Yes!” Ed beamed and dove in to almost frantically kiss him. “Yes I’ll marry you! Of course! I can’t believe…”

He shuddered as the enormity of the offer crashed over him and Oswald automatically pulled him close again.

“I don’t have a ring,” he admitted uncertainly.

“I don’t care,” Ed mumbled from where his face was buried snugly into Oswald’s shoulder, inhaling the man’s unique fragrance and relishing in the familiar scent. “I don’t even care if we can’t find someone to marry us. The fact you _want_ to marry me. It’s more than I could ever dream of.”

“We’ll get you a ring,” Oswald stated decisively, letting his hand rub comfortingly up and down his back. “I never want you to doubt how much you mean to me.”

Ed pressed a kiss against the nearest piece of available skin.

“As long as _you_ never doubt how much you mean to _me_ ,” he countered.

“I think it’s safe to say I’ve been pretty well convinced.”

“Good,” Ed mumbled, feeling the tug of fatigue sneaking over him as he let go of tension he didn’t even know he had.

“Sleep now,” Oswald suggested, pressing his own kiss to the shock of hair resting on him. “Well discuss it properly tomorrow.”

There was brief instant where Edward tensed again as Oswald shifted and he feared the man was going to get up for his night shirt. Then the covers were pulled over them both and Oswald settled snugly back into his previous position. Ed wrapped his arms happily around the uncovered skin and drifted off into his dreams of naked exploration.

Well, naked except for a shining band of gold adoring his finger.


End file.
